Method and means for continuously unwinding electric and the like wires wound over spools



Oct. 24, 1961 3,005,601

M- B. GAZET METHOD AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY UNWINDING ELECTRIC AND THE LIKE WIRES WOUND OVER SPOOL-S Filed May 15, 1956 United States Patent 3,005,601 METHOD AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY UN- WlNDlNG ELECTRIC AND THE LIE WIRES WOUND OVER SPOOLS Marius Bernard Gazet, Lyon, France, assignor to Etab lissements G. Decombe, Lyon, France, a company of France Filed May 15, 1 956, Ser. No. 584,909 6 Claims. (Cl. 242-428) The industry of electric leads and generally speaking of wires requires a large number of operations for the winding and the unwinding of the spools at always increasing speeds, said winding and unwinding operations being provided respectively before and after a suitable treatment such as drawing, coating, slubbing, etc. Now, technical improvements lead to the necessity of a more and more speedy continuous operation.

For high speed winding, there exist arrangements which allow, when the take up spool is full, shifting the wire onto another spool so as to provide the desired continuity of operation. Said arrangements solve the problem of a continuous highspeed winding of a wire at the output end of a machine, but by no means that of a high speed continuous unwinding. As a matter of fact, the only continuous unwinding possible is that provided through untwisting and bulging out ofif a stationary spool which necessitates connecting the strand forming the end of one spool with the beginning strand of the next spool.

The method forming the object of my invention consists in setting each spool inside a chamber limiting the expansion of the bulging volume formed by the looping of the wire when thus unwound, the axes of the different spools to be unwound being directed in a manner such that they converge at a point located in the plane of the opening of a passage for the wire that is being unwound, the inner terminal strand of the wire of each spool being connected with the outer terminal strand of the next spool and the portion of wire connecting said two strands lying outside the chamber of whichra wall is provided with a slot for the passage of said terminal strands towards the connecting strand, the edges of said slot being preferably uninterrupted between the vicinity of the outer end of the one spool up to the vicinity of the outer end of th next spool.

The execution of my improved method allows continuously unwinding the wire from one spool to the next with the following advantages:

No stoppage and no slowing down,

No need for the operator to interfere,

No need for any auxiliary electrical or mechanical arrangement.

I have illustrated by way of example and by no means in a limiting sense a preferred embodiment of my improved apparatus in the single figure of the accompanying drawing showing two juxtaposed spools the axes of which are at an angle with each other.

The sole figure of the drawing is an axial cross-sectional view of an apparatus provided in accordance with the invention with two juxtaposed spools being arranged with their axes at an angle with one another.

In said figure, the two spools 17 and 18 are carried inside corresponding casings 19 and 20 in a manner such that the axes of the removable spools meet each other at a point 21 located in registry with the input port of a tubular member guiding the wires such as 22 passing off the spool 17 for instance.

The inner terminal section 23 of the wire wound over the spool 17 is connected through a wire section 24 with the outer terminal section 25 of the wire wound round the spool 18, the unwinding off which follows that of the wire on the spool 17. Wire section 24 is formed as a juncture of the terminal ends of inner and outer terminal sections 23 and 25 which are outside of casings 19 and 20.

In order to allow the passage of the connectingwire forming the juncture between the ends of terminal sections 23 and 25 through the casing walls, the wall of each of the separate casings 19 and 20 is provided with a slot respectively at 26 and at 27 while a member 28 connects uninterruptedly the two casings and is provided with a slot section interconnecting the individual slots 26,27', so as to prevent any misengagement of the wire when its unwinding is ended for one spool and begins for the. other, and to allow the wire section 24 to pass through the compound slot 2628-'-27. 1

The wires on'the two spools being thus interconnected at 24 across the space between the two casings as illustrated, it is sufiicient to draw outwardly the wire passing off the spool 17 through a looping movement over the flange of said spool while the latter revolves so as to release the wire; finally the terminal section of the wire from the spool 17 leaves the latter and draws along with it the connecting section 24 and therethrough the wire wound over the spool 18 which latter wire unwinds in its turn. E During the unwinding of the Wirev off the spool 18, the empty spool 17 is removed and a full spool is substituted therefor. The outer strand of the wire on the fresh spool thus inserted is then connected with the innerv end'oif the spool 1.8 which is being unwound. The same procedure is repeated at the end of the unwinding of each spool and as long as required through .the alternating replacing of the spools in each of the casings.

It is thus seen that the presence of the casing limits the size of the loops bulging round the spools and to the front thereof. It is also apparent that there is no hindrance for the shifting of the unwindingoff one spool onto the other spool and there is no risk of either wire frictionally engaging the inside of a casing and beingtom off since the connecting section 24 between the two wires moves'freely outside the casing system through the continuous slot 26-27-28. I .Aithough said section 24 may be held in position duringthe unwinding of the wire ofi either spool through hooks adapted to collapse against slight tensioning, it is however sufficientto rely on the rigidity of the section 24 to remain in the position illus trated'until it is drawn out of the slot through the unwinding of a terminal section such as 23.

Obw'ously, my invention is by no means limited to the sole embodiment disclosed hereinabove by way of exemplification and it encloses in fact all the modifications thereof falling within the scope of the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a method for continuously unwinding at high speed electric and the like wires off flanged spools, the steps consisting in positioning at least two spools to be unwound each inside an individual casing, said casings having convergent axes meeting at a common point and being spaced from each other, connecting the end of the inner terminal section of the wire on the first spool external the one casing with end of the outer terminal section of the wire on the next spool external the other casing to form a wire element connecting the ends of the inner and outer terminal sections extending through the walls of the individual casings and between the later, unwinding the wires in succession each inside its casing and causing the unwound wire to pass through the meeting point between the two casing axes.

2. In an apparatus for unwinding uninterruptedly and continuously the wire off a plurality of wire-carrying flanged spools, two independent casings adapted to carry each a wire-wound spool with the axes of said spools Patented Oct. 24, 1961' 3 intersecting, the inner surface of each casing preventing the wire winding off the spool inside the casing from bulging beyond a predetermined radius, each casing being provided in registry with the other casing with a slot to be penetrated by a wire element forming a junction adapted to connect the end of the outer terminal section of the wire on one spool external of one casing with the end of the inner terminai section of the wire on the other spool external of the first casingga section having. a slot and interconnecting two adjacent edges of the casings to unite said slots into aeompound slot and means for guiding the unwound wire through the point of intersection of the two spool axes.

-3. An apparatus for unwinding .nninterrupte'dl and continuously the wire on" aplurality of wire-carrying flanged: spools, comprising two cylindrical independent casings adapted to carry each a wire wound spool with the axes of said spool intersecting, the inner surface of each casing preventing the wirewinding oi the spool inside the casing from bulging beyond a predetermined radius, each easing: being rovide-din registry with the other casing with a slot to be penetrated byawire element forming a junction adapted to connect the outer terminal section of the wire on one spool with the inner terminal section f the Wire on the other spool, meansinterconnecting the corresponding edges defining the slot in two adjacent casings to unite said slots into a single continuous slot, and means for guiding the unwound wire through the point otinter'section of the two spool axes.

4. A method for the continuous unwinding at a high speed of electric or the like wires off removable flanged spools, said method' consisting-in mounting at least two spools to be unwound each inside a laterally closed space in a manner such that their axes converge. on a common point; the laterally closed space for one s ool being interconnected with the laterally closed space of an adjacent spool and bein in'eommunication therewith through a compound slot connectin the inner end of the wire on" the first spool with the outer end of the wire on the following spool by means of a element located outside the closed spaces in which the spools are to be unwound and adapted to move in a free and unobstructed manner throu h the compound slot, and drawin the wire to be unwound off the successive spools throughsaid point common to all the spools, said closed spaceslimiting the outward radial movement of the wire during the unwinding off the removable spools. V

5. An ap aratus for the continuous high speed unwinding of electrical and the like wires on removable flanged spools, said apparatus cemprishig flanged spools having 4 convergent axes, the outer flanges of the spools facing the meeting point oi said axes, transversely spaced casings in which said spools are individually carried and the walls of which prevent the wires undergoing the unwinding procedure from looping outwardly beyond the location of said wa'lls, each casing being open in registry with the meeting point of the spool axes and being provided with a slot, the slot of one casing facing the slot of the adjacent casing, the inner end of the Wire on one spool being adapted to be connected with the outer end of the wire on the next spool through a wire element extending through the slot of each casing and across the space separating the casings inside which the unwinding is to be performed in succession, and means for guiding the unwound wire passing out of each casing through the meeting point of the spool axes. 1 6. apparatus for the continuous high speed unwinding of electric and the like wires 05 removable flanged spools, said apparatus com rising flanged spools having convergent axes,- the outer flanges of the spools facing the meeting point ofsaid axes, transversely spaced cas ings in which said spools" are individually carried and the walls of which prevent the wires undergoing the unwinding rocedure irorn looping outwardly beyond the location of said walls, each casing being open in registry with the meeting point of the spool axes and being provided with a slot,- the slot of one casing facing the slot of the adjacent casing, a slotted member interconnecting the adjacent sides oi two successive casings and the slot in each easin the slotted member interconnecting the ends of the casing slots nearest the o enings of'saidcasings, the inner end of the wire on one spool being adapted to he connected with the outer end of the wire on the next spool through a wire element extending through the casing slots and across the space separating the casings inside which the unwindingis to be performed in succession and means for guiding the unwound wire passing out of each casing: through the meeting points of References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,772,840 Goodhue et a1. Dec.- 4, 1956 

